‘5 feet, 8 inches tall': Police release new video of Brown University shooter; no arrest yet

Police investigating the deadly shooting at Brown University have released a new video timeline and clearer images of a masked suspect, as authorities continue an intensive search across Providence with no arrest yet made. The attack on Saturday left two students dead and nine others wounded.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez presented what he described as an “enhanced” compilation of surveillance footage showing a person of interest moving around the Brown campus and nearby streets. The video appears stitched together from home security cameras and shows the suspect walking for about an hour, beginning shortly after 2 pm, within a few blocks of the engineering building where the shooting occurred at 4.03 pm.




In all publicly released footage, the suspect’s face is either masked or turned away. Investigators have described him only in broad terms: stocky, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing dark or brown clothing, including a jacket, hat, gloves and a shoulder bag. In some clips, the person is seen passing the same properties multiple times. In another, he abruptly turns and runs in the opposite direction when someone approaches.

Footage taken minutes after the shooting shows the person walking away from a parking lot and continuing along a nearby street. Chief Perez said investigators believe the individual was “casing” the area beforehand, adding that such behaviour is typical of criminals preparing for an attack.

Hundreds of tips, but questions over cameras and campus security

Police, working alongside the FBI and state authorities, said around 200 tips have been received so far. Officers have been canvassing homes, yards and dumpsters in surrounding neighbourhoods, urging residents to recheck their camera systems for even fleeting images that could help identify the suspect.

“We’re looking for a moment that is shorter than someone taking a breath,” Perez said. Despite Brown University having around 1,200 campus cameras, officials confirmed there is no clear footage from inside the engineering building itself, a gap that has frustrated investigators and raised wider concerns about security.

Attorney General Peter Neronha said the investigation was going “really well” but urged patience, warning against speculation about motive or ideology. Brown President Christina Paxson defended the university’s emergency response, explaining why campus sirens were not activated, saying this could have driven people towards danger rather than away from it.

Brown University also condemned "doxxing" of students after online reports falsely linked the tragedy to one of the students.

"It's important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm. Accusations, speculation and conspiracies we're seeing on social media and in some news reports are irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community," the university said in a post on X.

A city on edge as victims’ stories emerge

Providence remained tense on Tuesday, with extra police deployed to schools and all after-school activities cancelled as a precaution. Parents spoke of fear, while students questioned whether security measures alone could prevent such violence.

Details have also emerged about the victims. Two wounded students had been released from hospital, while others remained in critical or stable conditions. Among those killed was 19-year-old Ella Cook, a sophomore described by her church as a bright and uplifting presence. The other victim, 18-year-old MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a freshman majoring in biochemistry and neuroscience, had long dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon after overcoming serious health challenges as a child.